Women on march to tackle violence (From Oxford Mail)

Women on march to tackle violence

1:00pm Monday 4th October 2010 in News By Rhianne Pope

“ONE in four women will be the victim of sexual violence in their lifetime and every one of us knows a woman who has experienced it.”

That is the message the organiser of a march through Oxford later this month said she was hoping to get across.

The annual Oxfordshire Reclaim the Night event takes place on Friday, October 22, from The Sheldonian Theatre in Broad Street.

More than 100 women are expected to walk the streets to raise awareness about violence against women.

Organiser Clare Cochrane said: “Me and a group of friends revived this event in 2008 because we wanted to raise awareness about such serious issues.”

The women-only march will be followed by a rally, to which men are invited, at Ruskin College in Walton Street.

This year, the organisers have set 10 challenges encouraging everyone to take action to end sexual violence and domestic abuse.

They include stopping people telling jokes about rape, encouraging female friends to be confident about themselves and not buying magazines that present women as sexual objects.

Ms Cochrane said: “It is about making sure the whole community knows we all have a role to play. By making these small changes, we can all make a difference.”

Ms Cochrane said raising awareness was particularly important at the moment because impending Government cuts left the future of rape charities in doubt.

To take part, email rtn.oxford@gmail.com